walking down the corridor. A frown crossed her face when she noticed Debbie with Melissa. ‘Oh, you’re here.’
Melissa looked between the two women. They used to be friends, once. But then something had pulled them apart.
‘Right,’ Debbie said, standing up. ‘I’ll get out of your hair now. The nurses will take the trolley away.’ She gave Melissa a quick hug then walked down the corridor, giving her former friend a tight smile as she passed her.
Melissa and Rosemary walked back into the ward, taking a seat on either side of Patrick as Rosemary looked down at her son with loving eyes.
‘Can I ask you something, Rosemary?’ Melissa asked her mother-in-law.
‘Of course.’
Melissa took a deep breath. ‘Was Patrick cheating on me?’
Rosemary’s eyes widened. ‘For God’s sake, how can you say that in here, in front of him! Honestly, Melissa.’
Melissa pursed her lips.
‘Go and get a coffee,’ Rosemary said sharply as she took her son’s hand. ‘Looks like you need it.’
Rosemary hadn’t said no, had she? Melissa stood up and walked out.
Melissa leaned back in her chair that evening, staring out at the dark forest in the silence of Rosemary and Bill’s living room. Outside, the trees whispered to her, leaves rustling. She took another slug of cider, enjoying the way it made her mind whir. She’d been sitting here like this for the past few hours, the kids asleep upstairs, Bill now at the hospital with Rosemary. She’d made the kids dinner, sat wordlessly as they all ate. She saw them exchanging worried glances, but she didn’t have the energy to talk to them about everything that had unfolded. She needed to puzzle it out in her head.
Her husband had cheated on her. It was clear now. Their marriage was a sham.
She looked up at the ceiling, wondering if the kids knew too. That would explain their attitude to their father lately. Everything they held dear – the stability of their family – was starting to fall apart around their ears and their father was to blame.
But would that be enough to make one of them stab Patrick?
Maybe the seed had been sown before that, way before that, in the weeks and months after Joel died. Patrick had taken them to see Kitty: another deception on his part. But clearly, he had been concerned about something.
Melissa picked up her phone. There were some notifications on there but not as many as she’d been used to the past few days. People she’d usually expect to send a text of support or concern were notable by their silence. Daphne had messaged, though . . . and Ryan. Just a quick message. Hope Lewis is ok. Here if you need me. R.
She opened the phone’s browser and did a search for Kitty Fletcher’s website. She found it quickly, a light and airy design with a photo of Kitty on the home page holding her famous book. She clicked on the Contact Me page before she might regret it and typed a quick message into the form, along with her contact details.
Kitty, it’s Melissa Byatt. I’d love to meet to get your advice at your earliest convenience. Do let me know how I can arrange this. Kind regards, Melissa
‘There, sent,’ she said to herself. Kitty would probably be bound by client–therapist privileges so wouldn’t be able to say much. But at least she could try.
She placed her phone to the side and looked back down at Rosemary and Bill’s photo albums, which she’d got out earlier. She’d reached for them in desperation, studying each photo of her, Patrick and the kids to try to decipher when it all went wrong.
‘My darlings,’ she whispered, tracing her finger over the last photo she’d been looking at. It was her last photo of Joel, from Christmastime, his freckled face all cheery and happy, his frail body wrapped up in a warm festive jumper. Patrick was next to him, wearing an elf hat, and the twins were in the background, ripping open one of their dozens of Christmas presents.
She peered at the clock. Nearly midnight: time for bed. She stood up, stretching, and padded to the kitchen, placing her empty glass by the sink.
Then she paused.
Was that someone out in the garden?
She leaned closer as she looked out of the window, heart thumping.
Yes, there was definitely someone out there, on the edge of the forest, just watching the house.
She opened the back door and stepped out, Sandy and the two other Labradors bounding out into the darkness. The motion-activated